The Global Positioning System (GPS) is the only fully functional Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Utilizing a constellation of at least 24 medium Earth orbit satellites that transmit precise microwave signals, the system enables a GPS receiver to determine its location, speed and direction.
A GPS receiver calculates its position by measuring the distance between itself and three or more GPS satellites. Measuring the time delay between transmission and reception of each GPS microwave signal gives the distance to each satellite, since the signal travels at a known speed. The signals also carry information about the locations of the satellites. By determining the position of, and distance to, at least three satellites, the receiver can compute its position using trilateration.
GPS receivers are being widely used in automobiles and help drivers find where they want to go. It is often observed that the GPS displays only the road the driver is on when a driver is in a remote area without much surroundings. Such a display not only is boring but also fails to tell where the driver may be located with respect to the destination, unless the actual mileage is read and calculated over the total distance.
GPS receivers are also getting popular in leisure activities, such as touring a city, a park and a zoo. Travellers by looking at the actual maps being displayed may find their ways to a desired point of interest. However, unless the map is displayed at a certain resolution and a distance to the point of interest is very short, the point of interest may not be even displayed in a map. All the user sees are the roads and unrelated landmarks until the user is getting sufficiently close to the point of interest.
The present invention discloses techniques of navigating on a non-linearly scaled map, where the non-linearly scaled map shows exaggeratedly points of interest. One of the benefits, advantages, and objects of the present invention is to allow users to navigate easily from one point to another point.
The present invention may be advantangeously used in leisure activities, such as touring a city, a park or a zoo, where landmarks, point of interests, or animals may be exaggeratedly shown to help a user of a GPS receiver locate what is desired to see. A map being used in the present invention may be artisticly made to make the navigation as a pleasant experience.